


Stuck in the Dark, But You're My Flashlight

by WildWolf25



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, SPOILERS for Tower of Nero, not a song fic but the title comes from a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWolf25/pseuds/WildWolf25
Summary: He didn’t call his name; Nico had asked him not to, considering what usually happened in his nightmares. Instead, he started to hum a gentle, soothing melody. Nico liked his voice and claimed it helped “call him back” during the nightmares, so he did it. Sure enough, not long after he started humming, Nico’s expression smoothed out a little and his mutterings grew less frantic.After several minutes, Nico finally woke with a little jolt. “Wha…? Where’m I?” he asked, his voice groggy and confused.“Hey, it’s okay,” Will smiled at him, even though he felt his heart break at the fear in his boyfriend’s voice. “You’re safe, you’re in your cabin.”“Will?” Nico asked softly, like he couldn’t quite believe Will was actually in front of him.“Yeah, it’s me,” Will said. “I’m right here. You’re safe.”A rush of breath left Nico like he had been punched in the chest, and he reached out for Will. Will quickly closed the space between them and enveloped Nico in a hug, continuing to murmur reassurances to him.(Nico has nightmares about Tartarus, but Will helps him get through the night)
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 16
Kudos: 170





	Stuck in the Dark, But You're My Flashlight

**Author's Note:**

> ⚠ **CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM “THE TOWER OF NERO”** ⚠ (Not so much big plot events, but some smaller things. If you want zero spoilers, though, please feel free to bookmark and come back once you've read ToN)
> 
> This was inspired by a few small details I came across whilst reading Tower of Nero. One was when Nico is waking up in the sewers after shadow-travelling and he wakes up all confused and Will reassures him that he’s safe (it’s like, a tiny detail, but it’s obvious that it’s not the first time that’s happened and that just SLAMS my hurt/comfort buttons), and the other is the revelation that Will has a tattoo, which is either new or I just didn’t notice in the other books. It’s another thing that isn’t brought up again and there’s no backstory on how he got it (so far), but that didn’t stop the gears from turning in my head! Oh and the fact that Will can glow. 
> 
> The title comes from the song "Flashlight" by Jessie J.

Will was a light sleeper. He almost had to be, as the head counselor of Cabin Seven who was also in charge of the infirmary; people were always coming in during the middle of the night for problems, or he would end up taking the night shift to care for injured campers while insisting his half-siblings get some rest. Over the years, he grew quick to wake and could go from sleeping to alert in a matter of seconds. He found it was a useful skill for a demigod, and later, as a boyfriend. 

The moment he woke up, he knew something was wrong despite the quietness that enveloped Cabin Thirteen. He had taken to spending the night with Nico for this specific reason, so that he could be close when it happened. Will had woken up on his side facing the bedside table, where his watch was resting. A quick glance at it before rolling over informed him that it was just past three in the morning. He rolled over to face his boyfriend and found Nico in the throes of another nightmare. It didn’t look like much ー he didn’t toss and turn or scream like people did in the movies. The only indicators were small things, like the deep furrowing of his brow, the little flinches of movement, the nonsensical muttering under his breath… but they were signs Will was attuned to now. 

He didn’t call his name; Nico had asked him not to, considering what usually happened in his nightmares. He also didn’t wrap him up tight in a hug, despite his every instinct begging him to, because he knew it could very easily backfire into Nico mistaking it for an attack. But he did lay a hand over the fist he had curled up beside his head, his thumb stroking the bone-white knuckles of his clenched fist. He did the only other thing Nico had asked him to do ー he started to hum a gentle, soothing melody. Despite being a son of an accomplished alt-country singer  _ and  _ the actual god of music, Will wouldn’t say he was particularly gifted at singing (he would consider himself okay, just not as talented as some of his half-siblings). But Nico liked his voice and claimed it helped “call him back” during the nightmares, so he did it. Sure enough, not long after he started humming, Nico’s expression smoothed out a little and his mutterings grew less frantic. Will even heard something like his name, so he squeezed his hand and kept at it. 

After several minutes, Nico finally woke with a little jolt. “Wha…? Where’m I?” he asked, his voice groggy and confused. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Will smiled at him, even though he felt his heart break at the fear in his boyfriend’s voice. “You’re safe, you’re in your cabin.”

“Will?” Nico asked softly, like he couldn’t quite believe Will was actually in front of him.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Will said. “I’m right here. You’re safe.” 

A rush of breath left Nico like he had been punched in the chest, and he reached out for Will. Will quickly closed the space between them and enveloped Nico in a hug, continuing to murmur reassurances to him.

“I heard the voices again,” Nico whispered against his chest. “Calling out from Tartarus… calling for me, for me to help…” His voice broke as he choked on a sob. “I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them. It was so dark. Tartarus is so dark.” He shivered, and Will rubbed his back. Nico looked around, his eyes searching for something. “I… am I still there? Where… where…?”

“You’re in your cabin, I promise,” Will told him. “Cabin Thirteen, at Camp Half-Blood. You’re safe.”

“It’s so dark…” Nico whimpered, burying his face in Will’s chest, right over the heart that was splintering at hearing the pain in his voice. 

“It’s three AM, baby,” Will said gently. “That’s all it is. Do you want me to turn on the light?”

“No! Don’t leave me. Please, please don’t leave me, Will,” Nico begged. Normally he was so stoic, so collected… this must have been an especially bad one, to rattle him like this. 

“I won’t leave you, I promise.” Will was for sure putting a lamp within easy reach on the bedside table first thing tomorrow. Or a flashlight at the very least.

“It’s so dark down there…” Nico whispered. “The voices…”

“I’ve got you,” Will said firmly, holding him tight. “I’ve got you.” It was all he could do. He couldn’t make the voices stop calling out to Nico in his dreams. He couldn’t stop the memories of all the people he had lost. He couldn’t even get up to turn on the light (and even then, the lighting in the Hades cabin was atrociously dim to maintain that ghostly, underworld aesthetic… Not the most helpful when the underworld was haunting your dreams). He wished fervently that it wasn’t three AM, and he could whisk Nico out into the warm sunshine and let him see and feel for himself that he was here at Camp Half-Blood, safe from danger,  _ home _ … 

“Y-yeah,” Nico sighed, sounding much more relaxed. “That’s… that’s better.” 

Huh? Had he said that aloud? No, he was sure he hadn’t ー Nico wouldn’t sound that relieved at the prospect of going out in the sunshine.

Will opened his eyes and his heart flipped in his chest at the sight. He was glowing.  _ Actually glowing _ a soft, gentle light, like the early morning golden light of a sunrise just before the sun actually peeked above the horizon. It seemed to be coming from deep within him, like he had liquid sunlight in his veins, shining through his skin and the t-shirt he wore. 

Will was so stunned, he didn’t know what to do. “What…?” 

His confusion seemed to catch Nico’s attention, and his boyfriend’s eyes fluttered open. Immediately, his eyes widened and he pulled back a little ー not in fear, just to get a better look at him (and maybe a bit of mild alarm). “You’re… glowing? How?”

“I have no idea,” Will admitted. “I was thinking about how I wanted to give you some kind of light, and it just… happened.” 

Nico paused, digesting that, and Will could almost see a little buffer-wheel spinning above his head. Finally, he shrugged. “Alrighty then. My boyfriend now glows in the dark,” he said, laying down again with his head resting on Will’s chest. “Honestly not much weirder than any of the other demigod powers out there.” 

Will hummed in agreement and maneuvered them so that he was on his back, his arm looped around Nico’s shoulders and Nico cuddled up beside him with his cheek on Will’s chest, just above the sun tattoo that was glowing through his shirt. Curious, he lifted the collar of his t-shirt and peered down it at his chest. The light was softer now than when it had started, but still quite noticeable, bathing his skin in a gentle golden glow like liquid sunshine. The tattoo over his heart ー a matching one to the one one that graced the back of his mother’s shoulder ー was lit up from behind, glowing like a real mini sun. 

Beside him, Nico snorted quietly in amusement. 

Will arched an eyebrow as he dropped the collar of his shirt and looked at him. “You laughing at me?” 

“A little,” Nico admitted. In the dim glow, Will saw his lips twitch up in a fleeting smile. “But I was mostly thinking, my thing is shadows, and now yours is light. We’re like opposites.” 

“Well, they do say opposites attract,” Will pointed out. He didn’t want Nico to start thinking they shouldn’t be together just because of their powers. “You’re the yin to my yang. Or the yang to my yin? Which way is it?”

“Yin is light, yang is dark. Together we make up one moderately-well-lit room,” Nico deadpanned. He lifted his hand and traced a finger around the glowing outline of Will’s sun tattoo, shining through his t-shirt. “Do you think it was this that caused it? The glowing?” he asked, indicating the tattoo. 

Will shook his head. “Doubtful. It wasn’t a magical process. Regular ink, regular machine, regular shop.” The tattoo was fairly recent; he had gotten it when he went home after winter break, after meeting Apollo for the first time.

_ Texas was warm, even in January, and Will came downstairs to find his mother in a tank top and her Longhorns-orange plaid pajama pants, singing along with the radio and dancing a bit as she made her special breakfast tacos. Will paused in the doorway and watched her with a smile, glad to see her so happy. When she reached up to grab the taco spice from the shelf, the tattoo on the back of her left shoulder ー a stylized sun ー seemed to ripple with the movement, and he suddenly got an idea. _

_ “Mom,” Will said. “Can I get a tattoo?” _

_ Naomi turned around and looked at him, chuckling a little in surprise. “Don’t you think you’re a little young for a tattoo, honey?” _

_ Will shrugged. “I’ve fought in two wars and helped stop giants from destroying the world. Think I can handle a tattoo.” _

_ His mother’s smile flickered at the mention of his demigod life. He was always honest with her and told her everything. Since his very first summer at Camp Half-Blood, she would drive up to Long Island to pick him up, and he would spend the whole first part of the long drive back to Texas telling her about his summer in animated stories that always drew laughs and surprise. The time after the war with Gaea was the first time he had been unusually quiet during one of their drives. They finally pulled over at a rest stop between New York and Philly, one with a large park, and they sat on a secluded bench and he had told her everything ー every battle, every loss, the fear that lurked beneath the adrenaline, the relief at their hard-won victory, the emptiness and grief that gripped him whenever he thought about everyone he couldn’t save… She held him and cried with him, and cried  _ **_for_ ** _ him as she realized that her son’s life at camp was more dangerous than just climbing rock walls over lava rivers or sparring with real bronze swords. _

_ Naomi smiled, though her eyes were still a little sad as she looked at him. “Okay. I’ll call my artist and see if I can pull some strings. If it’s what you really want.”  _

_ “I do,” Will nodded.  _

_ Naomi turned to tend to the breakfast tacos, her shoulder on display again. “What do you want? Any ideas?”  _

_ Will looked at the stylized sun on the back of her left shoulder. He had heard the story many times ー she had been playing a show in Austin about sixteen years ago, pouring her heart and soul into the songs, and had just finished and was leaving when someone caught her from behind by grabbing her left shoulder: the most handsome man she had ever seen, with sun-golden hair and sparkling eyes and astonished praise on his lips as he called her “the most talented musician I have seen in centuries!” (which had made her laugh at the time, naturally, as she had no reason to suspect he was anything other than mortal). _

_ “The same one you have. The sun,” Will decided. “Kind of a family thing, linking you, me, and Dad. Now that I’ve met him.”  _

_ Naomi smiled ー a smile with such warmth and brightness, it would have put the sun itself to shame. “I like that.” _

_ It took some convincing to get the tattoo artist to agree to go along with it, but the artist and Naomi had been friends since they were in high school.  _

_ “As long as you are with him and sign the forms for him, sure,” the artist told Naomi, sliding some consent forms across the counter. Will noticed a sign taped up that said “we ALWAYS check IDs!” He also noticed that the artist did not ask to see his ID. _

_ The artist was the same one who had done Naomi’s sun, so it was easy to copy the design. Will was a little nervous, but his desire for the tattoo outweighed his nerves. Once they got started, he found it wasn’t as painful as he had feared.  _

_ “You’re handling this remarkably well, kid,” the artist told him during a break. “I’ve seen grown men weep and pass out in that chair before.” _

_ “I’ve got a pretty high pain tolerance,” Will said. That wasn’t to say he couldn’t feel it at all; it wasn’t as intense as he was used to in battles or even Capture-the-Flag-gone-awry, but it was a longer, more sustained pain, even if it was low. Will slid a look at his mother, who was sitting beside the chair watching the process. “Hurts a lot less than getting shot with an arrow when archery practice goes wrong,” Will said. _

_ Naomi’s lips twitched in a small flicker of amusement, undoubtedly thinking of all the stories he had told her.  _

_ The tattoo artist looked up from his work. “Does your school have an archery club?” he asked, confused.  _

_ Will chuckled. “Ah, no, that’s my summer camp.” Well, technically…  _

Will shook himself out of the memories and came back to the present. “I don’t know what triggered this glowy thing.” He paused, smiling, then wrapped himself around Nico like an octopus. “Could've been my intense love for you, you know.”

“Cheesy.” Nico huffed, trying to hide his own smile. “Well, whatever it was, I’m glad. You do make the perfect night-light. Not too bright.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I meant in terms of  _ light _ , not intelligence.” Nico leaned up and kissed him. “I love you,” he said softly, almost shy (even after several months of dating). 

Will smiled, and was only distantly annoyed to find out that he glowed a little brighter as warmth and happiness filled him at those three little words (that was a little embarrassing...). Nico noticed, and his lips twitched like he was fighting back laughter. “I love you too,” Will leaned down to kiss the laugh off his lips. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you liked it! Or just yell with me about the Tower of Nero in the comments, that's welcome too, lol


End file.
